


Put a Ring on It

by windowlessatmosphere



Series: Lighting a Candle verse [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29723025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windowlessatmosphere/pseuds/windowlessatmosphere
Summary: Bucky's married Steve twice already, but since third time's the charm, they're gonna go for one more. He just needs one thing before they can start planning—his wedding ring.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Lighting a Candle verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2165037
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	1. On My Own

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, since it was the most popular option, here's the ring fic. Also, I might make Bucky go to therapy in this, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks for reading!

“So…”

“...”

“You wanted to talk about something?”

“...”

“Okay, very helpful. Seriously, what’s on your mind?”

“...”

“Barnes.”

“...”

“Okay, if you’re going to stare straight ahead and sit in silence, I’m pretty sure you don’t need me for that. If there’s nothing else…” Sam trailed off, slowly easing himself up off the couch to see if Bucky would call his bluff.

“Stay.” Sam let out a breath and dropped back down onto the couch.

“Okay, you want to tell me what this is all about?” Sam asked, picking up the coffee cup in front of him. Bucky had led him to the center of the couch and stared at him until he sat down, and the mug had been sitting on a coaster directly in front of him, which he supposed was probably Bucky’s idea of a nice gesture.

“I…” Bucky stopped himself, then took a deep breath, still staring at Sam. Sam took a sip of the coffee and tried not to wince at the temperature.

“Take your time, man. No rush.”

“Steve,” Bucky finally managed to get out. “I want you to talk to Steve.”

“Okay,” Sam nodded, putting the mug down and leaning forward slightly. “What about?” Bucky clenched his jaw and stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Sam waited.

“He...wants to—but he shouldn’t...and,” Bucky stopped himself again and looked down at the ground, moving his arms from the armrests to clasp his hands together. He took a breath and sat up straight again, hands still together. “I have to do something. Steve wants to come with me. He shouldn’t. I want you to convince him to stay here,” he delivered the words quickly and efficiently, frustration no longer audible in his tone.

“Okay, what do you have to do?” Sam questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Unimportant.”

“Steve’s not gonna be convinced by me just sayin’ it, Barnes,” Sam pointed out. “He’ll want to hear a nuanced take on the subject, which I can’t give if I don’t know what the subject is.” Bucky’s expression shifted slightly, though Sam couldn’t figure out what emotion he was expressing.

“Fine.” Bucky paused for a long moment. “I’m getting my ring back.” Sam was shocked into silence for a minute before regaining his ability to speak.

“So, in other words, you want me to convince Steve that you should, on your own, start breaking into HYDRA bases, and he should just stay home and read a magazine or something?” Sam asked incredulously, gesturing while he spoke.

“Not on my own,” Bucky replied stubbornly.

“Who—”

“I was going to ask you to come with me.” There was a beat of silence.

“Me?” Sam asked, trying to disguise the surprise in his voice.

“Yes.” Bucky paused. “If I take someone...Steve’ll be more okay with it.”

“Okay,” Sam nodded, absorbing the information. “What about Natasha? She seems perfect for this kind of thing.”   
“Her too. But she already said yes. You didn’t say anything,” Bucky pointed out, still refusing to break eye contact. Sam took a deep breath, about to tell Bucky that it was a big decision, one he needed to think over. Then he noticed Bucky’s first finger on his right hand, subtly tapping on the side of his leg. Bucky almost never showed his nervousness physically, especially in ways that anyone could pick up on. Usually, he was pretty comfortable around Sam—at least, for someone who wasn’t Steve—so he must have been really nervous about what he’d asked Sam for.

“Okay. I’m in,” Sam agreed, his mouth moving before his brain could get fully on board.

“Thank you,” Bucky said. There was no expression in his voice, but he stopped tapping his finger and relaxed ever so slightly.

“ _ If _ Steve agrees to all this,” Sam quickly warned. “We are  _ not _ just running off in the middle of the night if he says no.” Bucky finally broke eye contact, looking quickly to the side at that suggestion.

“Oh, my god!  _ Seriously _ ?  _ That _ was your back-up plan?”


	2. Stay, Stay, Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve plan for the future.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.”

“Tell me when you’re done?”

“I can be done,” Steve said mildly, looking up from his sketchpad.

“It’s not important,” Bucky argued, sitting down on the couch beside him and craning his neck to see what Steve had been drawing. Steve tilted it to the side so he could see it better.

“Neither is this,” Steve laughed, leaning forward and setting it on the coffee table. Bucky waited for him to settle back against the cushions before snaking an arm around Steve’s waist and pressing the side of his face into Steve’s shoulder.

“Hey.”

“I think you said that already,” Steve pointed out easily, running a hand through Bucky’s hair. Bucky turned his head to hide his face and nodded into Steve’s shoulder without saying anything. “You wanted to talk?” Steve pressed a little more. Bucky sighed and took his face out of Steve’s shoulder.

“I want to talk about the ring again.”   
“Okay,” Steve replied warily. Bucky waited for him to continue, but he didn’t say anything more than that.

“I want to take Sam and Natasha and go get it back. You stay here.”

“Sam’s a new addition,” Steve observed, turning to look at Bucky.

“I asked yesterday. He said yes.”

“When I said three people would be better, I meant me, not Sam,” Steve reminded him, sighing.

“Not an option.”   
“Bucky, I could help with this if you’d let me.” There was a little bit of strain starting to come into Steve’s voice.

“You’re safer here. You should stay here,” Bucky argued back, sitting up to look at Steve.

“If it’s too dangerous for me to go, you shouldn’t be going either, Buck!” Steve shot back, clearly frustrated. “If I go with you, we can watch each other’s backs.”

“And if you stay  _ here _ , nothing can—” Bucky started before stopping himself.

“Buck?” Steve asked, all traces of anger vanished and concern overtaking his expression.

“We’re fighting,” Bucky stated it, but it seemed more like a question. “This is a fight.”

“Yeah, I mean...yeah, I think so,” Steve admitted, hunching his shoulders.

“I don’t wanna fight,” Bucky told Steve, watching for his reaction.

“Me neither,” Steve agreed, letting out a small breath.

“Bed?” Bucky asked, getting up off the couch.

“Sure, Buck.” Steve stood up and followed Bucky out of the living room. They reached the bedroom, and Steve slipped under the covers, feeling Bucky press against his back a moment later. Bucky pulled the covers over their heads and slipped an arm around Steve, wriggling in closer to him.

“Love you,” Bucky muttered into the back of Steve’s neck.

“I love you, too,” Steve replied. “I wish you’d let me help you with this. I don’t like the idea of you being in danger and me not being around to help.”

“That’s what Sam and Natasha are for. And…” Bucky hesitated. Steve waited a few seconds before gently knocking Bucky’s foot with his own.

“And?”

“And I can’t do what I need to do unless...I know that you’re safe,” Bucky finished.

“I can take care of myself,” Steve pointed out gently.

“But you don’t,” Bucky responded. “Even if you did, your safety would be my only concern.” Steve sighed and took Bucky’s hand where it was resting on his stomach. “Stay here?” Bucky asked after a beat passed, pressing himself closer to Steve. Steve slowly let out another breath and waited a few seconds before replying. 

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr [@windowlessatmosphere](https://windowlessatmosphere.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr [@windowlessatmosphere](https://windowlessatmosphere.tumblr.com)


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